Burning Brightly: A Celestial tale
by Sipherdidus
Summary: Discord has been defeated, and Equestria quickly returns to peace. However, Celestia dwells upon the past, recounting ancient wrongs and friendship lasting throughout the eons. Twilight Sparkle, her young pupil, seeks to discover the story behind the spirit of chaos, the end of the alicorns, and the world beyond Equestria.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own My Little Pony, or any rights to the show, its characters, or any subject based on the show.

**Note:** This is my first story on the site. It's influenced by (not based on) some art I once saw, although I cannot find it now... Anyway, enjoy.

* * *

**New Dawn**

The illustrious halls of Canterlot Castle echoed with the clacking of Twlight Sparkle's hooves upon the marble floor. To Twilight, it seemed that the silence was deepened by the echoes, reverberating, pulsing until it was nearly unbearable. It was an odd sight to the young filly, that the castle was so devoid of life when only a few days ago it rang with the clamor of unicorns and pegasi, destroying and reconstructing the stained glass and alabaster pillars. The destruction caused by Discord was great, yet it appeared to be a trifling matter to undo that which he had waited a thousand years to commit.

The thought, although fleeting, seemed pitiful to Twilight, and a tinge of sadness racked her heart for a moment.

"Twilight Sparkle!"

The sudden, jarring voice of Princess Celestia broke through Twilight's daze like ice water upon a sleeping colt, and she started, tripping over her own hooves as she awoke from her daydream.

"Ah!" She squealed, falling face-first onto the marble staircase ahead of her. "Hello Princess..."

Celestia chuckled, lightly, regally. Twilight jumped to her feet, salvaging whatever pittance of decorum she may have had.

"Hey Princess! I see the working teams have done a fantastic job with the castle. Everything looks... well, normal. No dancing stained glass windows anymore."

Celestia chuckled again. Perhaps even giggled. Twilight beamed at her amusement.

"Yes Twilight, they have done a wonderful job. I'm glad that everything is back the way it should be. At least, it's almost that way." She nudged Twilight with her flank, and motioned towards the upper tiers. Twilight followed promptly, still beaming at her Princess's presence.

"Whaddya mean 'Almost that way?' Sure seems like the whole place is fixed." Glancing about, Twilight confirmed that the entire palace was intact and functional. Beautiful, too.

"What I meant was you're still here in Canterlot. After all this mess, I thought you might want to spend some time with your friends back in Ponyville." Celestia smiled faintly; a less observant pony might not have seen the smile at all. "I know what Discord did doesn't matter now, but I suppose you might have relished the time to make amends with the others."

Puzzled, Twilight turned towards Celestia. "We'll be fine Princess. We weren't exactly ourselves you know." Twilight smiled sheepishly; Celestia seemed to ignore it, so, crestfallen, Twilight continued. "We'll always be friends Princess. They said things they didn't mean, and so did I, but in the end, we'll always love each other. Nothing could take that away.

Stopping at the entrance to the tower study, Celestia smiled, her eyes shining. "It makes me very happy to hear that Twilight. If there was ever any doubt as to why you were chosen by the Elements..." Her voice trailed off, and she turned to Twilight. "Well, there never was any doubt in the first place now was there?"

At that, Celestia's horn shone, the evanescent light of alicorn magic alighting upon her brow, and the door opened itself. Twilight could only watch with mitigated awe; although she herself was a proficient magicker, there was something truly _mystical_ about the magic of alicorns that no unicorn could replicate. Power, age, understanding; Twilight wasn't sure quite what it was that made the magic so captivating, only that it was special in some intangible and indescribable way...

"Twilight? Are you coming?" The Princess already lay upon her cushion, perusing through manuscripts and obligatory signings.

Twilight shook herself from her trance, embarrassed. Celestia seemed not to take note, so Twilight timidly shuffled into the enormous room, settling herself upon her own personal cushion. The seat was plush, stuffed with down from the illusive phoenixes of Equestria. Although painstaking to make, the Princess had made it expressly clear what the pillows were to be filled with, and none would deny her. A sense of guilty pleasure swept across Twilight as she sank into the cushion; Not only was the pillow incredibly comfortable, it had been made for her by direct orders from Celestia. A small part of Twilight felt almost boorish for idolizing the Princess to such an extreme; the larger part of her squealed with happiness, delighted that she would have so much effort ordered forth for her.

"Thank you for the pillow Princess..." Twilight muttered, languidly.

Celestia glanced up from her work, grinned for a moment, and returned her attention to an ink-splotched scroll. "You can nap if you'd like. I have a lot of work to do anyway. The castle may be fixed, but there's a lot of other things that need to be fixed elsewhere, and I have to see to most of it."

Twilight nodded, though she did not sleep. Instead, she deigned to admire the peculiarities of the room, where her Princess spent most of her "free" time. As humble and gracious as the Princess was, Twilight noted that she had a taste for excess. The walls were ordained with lavish tapestries of outlandish creatures and what she imagined were rulers from beyond Equestria. The bookcases lining the walls of the hexagonal room were filled to the ceiling with books outlined with gold filament, tomes that even Twilight had not perused, and the bookcases themselves were hoof-carved from the finest oak and mahogany. As she examined the room, it seemed to Twilight that, while beautifully made and lending of air of exquisite taste, the ornamental nature of the study seemed very... Not Celestia. From the crystal windows to the velvet rugs, Celestia's presence seemed almost as if it were isolated from its surroundings, buried amidst the abundance of scrolls and parchments. Twilight opened her mouth, as if to comment on her realization, when her eyes came to rest on the stained glass of Discord.

The design of Discord was simple enough: He stood, mouth agape in a half roar, paw raised and talon at the ready, as if to strike down an imaginary foe. His eyes were comically wide, as if surprised or immensely amused, as was his wont for much of anything. However, Twilight felt there was something _different _about the mural, slipping the grasp of her mind by mere tendrils of thought...

Discord was not encased by stone this time. The realization struck her like a hoof to the face. Why would the Princess have the window remade with Discord free? Discord, who almost successfully wedged himself between Twilight and her friends, and very nearly destroyed all of Equestria in the process, and here the Princess was, assigning an entire wall in his _honor._ Even more insulting to Twilight was his appearance; he almost seemed _exalted_, as if he were a proud lion, a figure of strength or greatness. As irritating as the entire depiction was, it was all the more frustrating that the Princess _must_ have commissioned it, otherwise it would never have been rebuilt. The very notion brought Twilight to her hocks in outburst.

"Princess, why would you remake that?" Twilight pointed with her hoof at the far atrium.

Celestia began signing another parchment, focusing upon her work. "I had the castle remade exactly as it was Twilight."

Her easy dismissal annoyed Twilight. "_Not _exactly as it was. That one used to be different. It used to show how you and Luna defeated Discord; by turning him into stone. Now it makes him look like... like... Well, it makes him look good!" Twilight raised her hoof into the air, in a half-hearted display of outrage. As unhappy as she was with the mural, deep within herself Twilight knew she could never truly be angry with the Princess, because she knew Celestia always had reasons.

She just couldn't fathom what this one could be.

Celestia peeked over her work, giving Twilight an inquisitive look, then turned her head towards the mural, peering at it from behind three scrolls her magic held to her face. "Oh! We had it remade because of the nature of the piece. Luna and I thought it was best to change it from that old, ghastly image to something less, well, violent."

And with that, the Princess signed the parchments all at once, and continued her reading, leaving Twilight to her confusion.

Twilight rolled off the cushion, not yet done with questions. "But why have it all these years the way it was? It never seemed to bother you then."

"Discord's recent reappearance brought it to the forefront of my thoughts Twilight." Celestia casually remarked.

Still unconvinced, Twilight pressed on. "But it almost looks like you're honoring him Princess! Just look at it... He looks so... so... regal. You made him look like a king, when he almost destroyed everything we hold dear!"

Celestia lowered a document covering her face, her eyes slanted in obvious annoyance. "Please Twilight. I'm very busy."

Intimidating as the Princess was to Twilight, she continued, unfettered by Celestia's insistence. "If you really didn't want him there due to violence, you could have at least not remade it at all... Every other mural in this room depicts something heroic or remarkable, and then you have _him!_ When we changed Nightmare Moon back into Luna, that's heroic! Or when Starswirl the Bearded created the omniamorphic spell, that was a breakthrough for magic-users everywhere!" She stomped her hoof for emphasis. "But Discord being Discord... I don't see why anyone would ever want him on their wall of heroes. He's not even worth remembering in my opinion-"

"He is worth remembering in mine." The Princess's quill pierced through the latest treatise she had been attending to, dripping black splotches of ink which soaked into her ornate desk. At that, Celestia released the scrolls from her magic, and they fell onto her desk into several neat stacks, those unfinished and finished paired together, with the ripped scroll on its own, ink bleeding into the mahogany beneath. "Twilight, I have asked you to stop, and, if you remembered your manners from foal's school, you would know that you are obliged to _stop_. But since you are so insistent on disrupting me while I am trying to put this kingdom back on the right track, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." The door opened suddenly and forcefully, causing a gust of wind to scatter the scrolls on the Princess's floor, staining the red velvet with ink from the freshly signed documents. "I trust you can locate your quarters."

Twilight flinched, and backed away from the Princess. Perhaps provoking her with so little regard for her work wasn't such a great idea. Annoying the Princess at all wasn't a great idea, she mused. Her eyes downcast, Twilight turned towards the door, dejectedly shuffling her way out of the study. "I'm sorry Princess." she sighed. "I just don't know why..." Twilight paused, waiting. She could feel Celestia's eyes upon her, but when there was no response, she quietly exited the room, using her magic to close the door behind herself.

* * *

The books Twilight had brought along amused her for a time, but eventually even those became repetitive; she had read each at least three times before, so none were new to her. Soon she turned to browsing the castle. While she had been acquainted with its grounds due to her increasingly frequent visits, it seemed that there was always something new to be discovered every time. The castle itself felt eerily quiet and empty, so Twilight elected to explore the gardens and castle grounds.

While the gardens themselves were just as empty as the castle itself, they teemed with life of a different kind. The various birds of paradise chirped and paraded about, singing ghostly songs of which Twilight had never imagined, and when she turned to the origin of the music, it always seemed there was no source at all. In broad daylight, the music was comforting, noise in an otherwise noiseless field of flowers, hedges, intricate designs and statues. A cool wind blew, dun leaves gliding along its width, and the subtle fragrance of autumn filled Twilight's senses. Golden leaves crunched beneath her hooves as she traipsed along, and she was met with longing, longing for her friends back in Ponyville, and to be home safe and comforted. Perhaps she should go home, she thought. While leaving the Princess on a such a note left a bad taste in Twilight's mouth, she mulled over the thought that perhaps leaving Celestia for the time being would be the best decision. As it were, Twilight felt no compulsion to evoke the Princess's ire once again. Nor could Twilight summon the courage for a formal apology; it was not often that Twilight felt at odds with Celestia, and the very idea clenched upon Twilight's heart, and wrenched away any bravery she might have had.

However, Twilight knew she couldn't leave without letting the Princess know. It filled her with a sense of dread; the Princess may very well not care if she were to leave without her blessing, but Twilight dared not test her patience once again. Better to face her now than face her after offending her again later, she sighed.

The sun began to set over the distant mountains, lighting the distant caps ablaze with brilliance. If for nothing else, Twilight loved Canterlot for its stunning sunsets, and tranquil nights. Setting herself along the edge of a nearby overhang, Twilight watched, content for the time to observe the majesty of the sun and moon.

* * *

Twilight awoke atop the stone pillar with a shock. With a few quick glances around, she realized she had fallen asleep during the sunset. Hopping to the ground, she gathered her wits and legs and trotted towards the castle through the garden.

Many of the birds had since deigned to sleep, but a few continued their songmaking. Once-comforting music suddenly became eerie and threatening, and Twilight quickened her pace, determined to get to her room as quickly as possible. Canterlot nights may be beautiful, but they're much less scary with friends, she thought to herself, jumping as a blue and black hooded jay chirped at her.

As she neared the castle, the canopy above her broke, and she was left trotting through an open display of statues and hedge designs. While the moonlight was appreciated, the statues offered no better company than the songbirds. Winded, Twilight slowed her pace, and eventually settled upon a fast walk through the garden. She looked about at each sculpture, their faces forever frozen performing whatever famous act they were known for. She passed Starswirl the Bearded and stopped for a moment to bask in his magnificence. If ever there were a pony she loved more than Celestia, it was Starswirl, and, in a moment of clarity, she decided then that she would dedicate her Nightmare Night costume to him.

At the edge of the statue garden, Twilight stopped once again, but not to bask. Her eyes rested upon Discord's twisted frame, the last motions Discord had ever made frozen into place by the very magic she and her friends had wrought. The thought that she had effectively ended another being's life disgusted her, and she tasted bile on her tongue. She shoved aside the notion; it was necessary, and she did the right thing. Though she attempted to justify her actions and the actions of her friends, she could not help but feel remorse for the spirit. She could only pray that, in his imprisonment, he was at peace, as though sleeping.

Wrenching herself away from the statue, she began to run towards the castle walls, unwilling to spend another moment in the presence of her as-yet greatest enemy.

"Hey Twilight, what's the rush?" One of the guards yelled as she magicked the door open and ran inside. As her hooves hit the marble, the castle echoed and groaned, angry with her apparent disregard for the time. Her ears pinned back, Twilight ground to a halt, the harsh clack of her hooves against the stone only reinforcing the explosive response from the empty halls. She crouched, her senses pummeled by the lasting echoes, and she closed her eyes, praying they would stop. After what seemed an eternity, the echoes died, and Twilight stood timidly, a little abashed at her silly behavior. Just echoes, she reassured herself. As lightly as a pony can, she spirited herself away to her tower room, leaving the massive halls of the castle to their slumber.

Her room, large as it was, seemed small with furnishing considered. The bed, large enough for a couple and their pet manticore, took up a sizable portion of the far corner, and the nightstand was hardly a nightstand at all, having the size and girth of a full desk. Her working area, a large desk, was filled to the brim with blank papyrus and extra ink, along with a glass of quills for Twilight's pleasure. Although not as ornate as the Princess's private study, the room still teemed with luxury, far more lavish than even the wealthiest pony could afford in her hometown of Ponyville. All considered, Twilight found it to be no wonder that Rarity pounced upon every chance to visit the castle grounds; the entire estate was basically Rarity's desires and dreams manifested into tangibility. Seems the Princess and Rarity have something very in common, thought Twilight, giggling to herself.

"Oh, Princess...," Twilight sighed, resigning herself to the bed's comforts. "I hope you'll forgive me soon..."

"I already have Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight jumped, practically bumping her horn against the canopy of her bed, before tumbling off the side into a heap of blankets and wriggling movement.

"Princess! I-I didn't know you were right there..." stammered Twilight, blushing at Celestia's sudden appearance.

Celestia pushed the door open with her horn, and walked into the room, the smile on her face both weary and pained. "It is I who hopes you will forgive me Twilight." The Princess fidgeted, eying the golden hockplates she so famously wore. "I spoke out of anger, not towards you, but towards myself. I know you may think me incapable of lying, but I ask for your forgiveness now for lying to you..." A tear slid down the usually serene face of the Princess, and fell to the floor, slowly, as though time itself slowed to gawk at such a thing. The Princess, shedding even a single tear. Twilight was stunned.

"No one decided to change the mural. Whether Luna knows or not, I do not know, although I doubt it. I constructed the mural with my own magic, from crystals I had gathered on my own. It seems that I am the only one who cares to remember after such an incredibly long time... Eons Twilight. You will never understand what it means to live thousands of years, my pupil. Things are forgotten when you have lived for what feels like forever. But some things can never be forgotten. Love can keep the memory strong." Celestia slowly walked up to Twilight, her eyes hard and callous. "But sometimes, things can hurt you so deeply that it feels like you'll never really heal." Lowering her head, Celestia placed her horn upon Twilight's breast. "Right here, in your heart. Sometimes, something innocent makes its way to your heart, and becomes something else. It twists and corrupts, and it feels like the world is collapsing when you realize it. It's the kind of hurt that changes who you are, and never lets you forget."

Her horn traced along Twilight's breast, and fell as Celestia did, her head landing upon the satin bed covering. "It's been so long since I've cried Twilight. I had almost forgotten that I could. After a time, it feels that I'm the one who is stone, not Discord. I am glad to know that I can still feel..."

Celestia lifted herself, and looked at Twilight, her eyes glimmering with long forgotten tears. "Thank you Twilight. For everything."

With that, the Princess lifted herself from the floor, her wings beating gently as she stood. She turned, and with gentle effort, she opened the door to Twilight's room, her horn's light pulsing softly in the inky blackness of the night. As the door closed, her voice drifted back into the room, a barely audible whisper even in the silence of the moment.

"Come to the study tomorrow at noon."

And the click of the door lock signaled her departure.

Twilight reeled. Her mind raced, thinking of thousands of improbable scenarios, reasons, justifications for the Princess to behave the way she did. The hour was late, and the many duties of the Princess were taxing. Perhaps she was simply exhausted from the day's work? Twilight shook her head. The Princess had dealt with far more pressing matters in the span of hours. She had been hardened by years of stressful royal duties, and, to Twilight, there was absolutely no way Celestia had broken down from a large workload.

Hours passed, and Twilight stood stark still, dumbstruck, eyes fixed upon the single tear which had fallen. The moisture had long since evaporated, but she simply could not fathom that the Princess had confessed herself to her. It seemed impossible. Yet, Twilight's vigil was proof of the event. And as the black velvet night faded away, worry, genuine and all-encompassing worry began to take hold of the young pony. A baby blue hue began to overtake the blackness of the skies, and, as it had for every morning since time immemorial, the sun crested over the distant mountains, overtaking the stars and the moon with its brilliance. And still Twilight stood, unphased by hunger, thirst, or fatigue. Sustained by emotion, Twilight's worry only grew as noon drew near. Breaking through her petrified vigil, the filly slumped to her side, sinking into the embrace of the plush cushions. Their comforting hold went unnoticed; she felt no fatigue or notion of rest, and as the hour drew ever nearer to noon, the filly stood, pacing about the room, unsure of what to believe, or, more importantly, what to expect. Whatever it was that the Princess desired to divulge, Twilight could only guess.

As the time passed, and only minutes separated Twilight from her next encounter with Celestia, her worry seemed to effervesce, but as it melted away it gave way to something that crippled Twilight even more than her worry. As Twilight dragged herself across the atrium and down the staircase, regret began to take hold. Noon struck, and Twilight regretted having ever asked about the mural.

* * *

The gleaming white coat of the Princess shone as brilliantly as the sun itself, and somehow, seeing Celestia, glorious and composed as she always has been, steadied the nerves of her student.

"Hello Twilight. I'm... glad that you decided to come." Celestia smiled, a sad, deploring smile. It seemed so unlike the Princess, so profoundly against everything Twilight had once thought of the monarch that, for a fleeting moment, Twilight felt compelled to use her magic to force her to smile. The moment passed, and Twilight managed to quell her ridiculous desire.

"Hey Princess. I... didn't really think I had a choice, to be honest." Twilight smiled timidly. Celestia's visage seemed to soften, but seemed no happier than before.

"You always have a choice Twilight. That's a lesson I hope you'll live by. And even now, it's not too late." Her smiled seemed to broaden slightly, but that only deepened the sadness within. "It really is never too late. Will you stay with me and listen? I will think no less of you if you choose not to, and we can just pretend this never happened." Celestia silently chuckled, scarcely bobbing her head. "It's completely up to you Twilight."

Twilight hesitated. "Um... What are you going to say?"

"A story Twilight. A very long, very old story. One that you will never find in any tome, nor on any wall. It has not and will never be written. My sister, I, and scarce few others are the keepers of this story, and each of us has been affected by it in our own unique way. To put it simply," at this, the Princess genuinely smiled, momentarily, but genuine nonetheless, "...and in a way that may appeal to your better nature, it is knowledge that is available once in a lifetime, in a thousand lifetimes."

Twilight, captivated by the Princess's words, needed no greater incentive, her form bubbling with the obvious anticipation of this ancient knowledge. "Yes! Yes I'll listen Princess, thank you!" To think something terrible was going to happen! Twilight mentally kicked herself, scolding herself for her own stupidity. Practically jumping from excitement, Twilight caught herself at the stoic gaze of Celestia. "I mean... I am honored that you would impart this knowledge to me Princess. Thank you."

Celestia narrowed her eyes. "I understand your thirst for knowledge Twilight. But there is nothing happy about this story. I am glad for your genuine desire to listen, but understand that this subject is very dear to me, even more so than any others who know of this. You will never recount what is to be said here over the next few days-"

"Next few days?" Twilight started, surprised. "But... Princess, I was only going to be here until tomorrow."

"Did I not say the story was _very_ long? It'll take more than one sitting to recount the entirety of it."

Twilight grimaced, obviously disgruntled by the time it would take. "Well... okay then. I'll send a letter back home to Spike and let him know I'll be a few days late..."

"I'll have one prepped and sent immediately." The Princess's horn shone, and a quill and parchment seemed to fly together of their own accord, dancing an awkward dance that only magic could create before the quill flew away and the scroll rolled unto itself. A seal jumped to meet the newly wrapped letter, and, with a blinding flash, the notice disappeared.

Twilight grinned. "Well okay then."

Twilight hurriedly jumped onto her cushion, and squirmed about until she found a position that was profoundly comfortable; she imagined she would be there a while, and she did not want to disrupt the story with her fidgeting. "I'm ready Princess."

Celestia settled upon her own, larger cushion, her wings tucked snugly into their folds. "Let us begin then."

"Twilight, you have heard before that I am a thousand years old, yes?"

Twilight nodded. "Yes Princess."

"Those rumors are actually untrue. I have lived for thousands of years, although even I could not tell you exactly how long it has been. I remember many things; It's a shame I can't remember my own age." Twilight stifled a giggle while Celestia sighed. Apparently the fact that she couldn't remember her age wasn't a joke at all; it really _did _disturb the Princess.

"The story I am about to tell you transcends the boundaries of Equestria, Twilight. Ask, and I will explain. There are worlds like you could never even dream of, beyond seas so vast that no pegasus could ever hope to fly across them and live. Equestria itself was but a thought, and existed within the minds of a few visionaries of our kind. Our world had no name. The only name we lived by was the Kingdom of the Alicorns. Things were... different, in those times. But all will be told in due course."

Celestia straightened herself, craning her neck slightly. "I shall begin as far back as I can remember. When I was a mere few decades old... how Discord came to be...-"

"Discord?" Twilight inquired? "What does he have to do with all this?"

Celestia set her eyes downcast. "Everything Twilight."

"Discord and the fate of the alicorns shall forever be intertwined. As I said, you shall know in due time. Now let us begin."

* * *

**Author's Note**: I hope whoever is reading this liked story. If you did, leave feedback! I'd love to continue, especially if people think this is worth the time. Let me know if I should continue on to chapter 1.


	2. Perfect

_739, K. II_

_Entry #5515_

_ Today was another beautiful day. As always, of course. It seems there is nothing more pressing than the weather to attend to, and it's painfully dull, again, as always. Ocean Star and I took a small journey to the ocean once again. Although it saddened me to leave Luna behind, she is still much too young to be flying with us. Her adorable little wings would give out, surely, and I don't think I'd be able to carry her both ways, although perhaps Ocean Star would be willing to lend a wing..._

Celestia giggled at the notion; The azure alicorn was much too... _high maintenance_ to lend herself as a taxi-pony. Celestia dismissed the idea with a fading grin.

_...Probably not. Someday when she is older I suppose. Four years is hardly an appropriate age to be flying at all, much less leagues away. Mother still doesn't approve of me going, and I'm twenty-five! Twenty-five years old and being treated like I was foaled only yesterday._

The glimmering white alicorn scowled, slamming her diary shut, the tattered paper chipping with the force of the gesture. A musty odor wafted from the pages, sending the alicorn into a fit of coughs. Her racked body rattled the book from its resting place onto the floor, and a resounding crack resounded from the spine of the tome as its impact was made clear. Celestia's eyes widened, surprised, and she clamored over the edge of her bed, falling squarely upon her rump as she searched for the book.

"Oh no..." she sighed as her eyes came to rest upon the worn spine, which lay inches away from the pages of the book. Her horn began to glow, and the two separate objects hovered slightly, gliding towards the young pony in a destitute display of disrepair.

"Hum..." Celestia crooned, lightly reassembling the book with her magic. The pages joined with the spine, and a peculiar _schlicking _sound signaled their conjunction. Celestia glided the diary towards her and took it in her hooves, examining it.

The black leather-like edges of the thick book were bent and worn from misuse, the creases folding deeply upon themselves until each crevice was as a prominent as the gold-leaf upon the spine, which was bespeckled and haphazard. The years of frequent page-turning left the papyrus ripped and crumbling, and many pages were stuck together in unknown, but otherwise inseparable ways. "Cele," written in silver plates upon the front of the diary, was missing an "e" at the end, leaving a comically misleading "Cel" in its place. And, most noticeably, the diary reeked of rot, having been left in all manner of foodstuffs at times and from the manner of its own composition decomposing. It was a pitiable sight, but Celestia found no reason to discard it; not only did it contain her days gone for the last fifteen years, she had found a certain attachment to the deplorable charm of the book itself.

Fifteen years, Celestia thought to herself. A solemn concept struck her, and she tentatively opened her diary to the page of her last entry.

_My foaling day was forty days ago. I'm twenty-five now. It's odd to think about... This very tome is a decade younger than myself, yet even now it exudes age. In twenty-five years of my life, it feels as though I've learned all there is to learn... Every day I struggle to find new things to do, new things to experience. Boredom and complacency have become my confidantes, and the world becomes smaller each moment. And yet... My mother is approaching her two-thousandth foaling day, and I daresay not even my father remembers his own age. What is twenty-five to a thousand? Two thousand? Even ten thousand... When I think of the last king, it frightens me to believe that I will live so long, live timelessly, like the mountains in the east; never moving, never changing. What will I outlast? Sometimes, I wish I could be like this diary; serving its purpose, and put to rest when it must be. I'd have to __**find**__ a purpose first._

Celestia paused, and crooked her head towards herself, examining her flank. Shimmering as it was in the sunlight, the stark whiteness of her coat only accentuated her lack of a mark. She sighed.

_Took mother a hundred years to get hers. Guess I'll just have to wait._

_ Another day, another..._

Celestia hesitated, at a loss for wittiness. Shrugging, she abandoned the missive. "Well, another whatever I guess."

_...another whatever I guess._

_ Celestia._

The white alicorn stood, levitating the diary at her front, and lightly closed it, taking precautions not to damage it further as she gently nudged it into place along her other store of books. Lodged in place, her horn shone brighter, and the diary began to waver, undulating like water within a glass, becoming just as transparent. Seconds later, it vanished, completely transparent, save for a slight distortion of the back of her bookcase, nearly unnoticeable to anypony who wasn't already aware of the trick. Satisified, Celestia smiled; her magic was becoming ever more flawless, and she prided herself on her growing power, although she knew it paled in comparison to her mother and father, and even to some of her friends. Her smile dimmed, and she slouched slightly.

"If nothing else, at least I have all the time in the world to practice magic," thought Celestia aloud.

She turned away from her latest spell, and took her leave, exiting her quaint room through a large door-less frame in her wall. A draft, little more than a sliver of wind, followed her on her exit, and from the bookcase came a chip of papyrus, crumbling into dust in her wake.

* * *

The oak floors creaked beneath Celestia's hooves as she loped across them, a curiously odd sound the alicorn thought. Molded by the arcane, the floors were as solid as the trunk of any tree, and despite shallow investigations, she was never able to discern the source of the creaking. Eventually, it became just another mystery she did not care to solve.

A familiar, fragrant scent filled the air, and Celestia moaned, quietly but expressly, shrugging her shoulders in an exaggerated sigh. Porridge. Again. It seemed that, despite the many talents of her mother and father, cooking was not one of them, and neither had the desire to improve upon their skill. Culinary neglect was simply something Celestia had become acquainted with, and grew to loathe silently. As she dragged her hooves across the floor, a startled whinny brought her to attention.

"Celestia! You're going to scratch the floor!"

Iron Gallop trotted in place, clearly perturbed by the grating of Celestia's slouching hooves. A petite, grayish blue alicorn with a peculiar silver mane, she danced about the kitchen area, slicing apart various vegetables with her magic and simultaneously clearing the counters with sweeps of a nearby brush. A green light emanated from underneath a large pot on a makeshift stove; emerald fire, a trademark of her mother's magic, burned brighter and hotter than any alicorn Celestia had ever known or read about, although none could explain why, not even Iron Gallop herself. _Maybe I was meant to be a cook_, she had once told Celestia.

It was a cruel trick of fate then, Celestia thought, that, for all of Iron Gallop's peculiarities, there seemed to be nothing "iron" about her, not in any sense of the word, _except for_ her cooking. Trotting over to the pot, Celestia crooked her neck, taking care not to scald her muzzle. The porridge was a brown, muddy color, and thick, sickly bubbles burst from the pressure within. Despite the disgusting display, the porridge itself exuded a kind of perfume. Any pony caught unawares might actually believe the porridge tasted better than it looked simply due to the scent. Expressionless, Celestia backed away from the pot, hiding a desire to wretch within the sink behind her. Well, she has a talent for turning vegetables into goop, Celestia joked. It seemed impossible that _any _pony could concoct something so vile from mere plants, especially on accident, although it seemed unlikely that the loving mother would try to poison her family on a daily basis. Celestia held her stomach and turned away; the porridge was a ways away, and she could avoid the thought of consuming it for the moment.

"Sorry mum." The shimmering white alicorn nuzzled her mother, who paused from her work to return the affectionate gesture. "Was just feeling a little down. Besides, dad could fix a palace wall with a half hour of magicking. I'm pretty sure a few scratches in the floor wouldn't cost him a minute." Try as she might to prevent it, a snide tone seeped into her words. For all of her likeable traits, jealousy was not one of them.

Iron Gallop snipped the greens from a carrot deftly, and casually tossed them into a pot, tilting her head lightly at Celestia's response like a confused manticore cub. "Cele, you know how hard your father works. The least you could do would be to not make him work at home..." Pleading, the gray alicorn hugged Celestia, pulling her in with her strong neck. "Now please, fix the scratches. I know you're-"

A dubious stare from the little white alicorn cut her off.

"...Well, I know you can do it. Please Celestia." With a agile twist and a flick of her dazzling silver mane and tail, the alicorn returned to her supposed cooking.

Celestia, disgruntled, turned and trotted to the small gashes in the floor where she had dragged her hooves. Shallow and light, their repair would be foal's play to most alicorns, but it is exactly for that reason that Celestia felt so uncomfortable. Sighing, her horn began to shine, a dull glow at first, but as her effort increased it began to emanate a light akin to her small lamp, a transparent magenta coloring. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of the alicorn's face; the scratches persisted, seemingly unfazed by her magic. Her horn's light grew stronger, casting long shadows as its light soon eclipsed the dim light cast by the setting sun. Closing her eyes, her face began to glisten with effort, droplets of sweat collecting at the end of her chin and falling into the small crevices below. Slowly, the scratches regressed, growing smaller than their already diminutive size, evaporating as though they were lines of water shrinking under a scalding sun. With one last burst of light, the scratches vanished completely, leaving the oak floor smooth as the day it was formed.

Exhausted, Celestia wobbled, her knees weak from exertion. She stood, and lightly made her way to the nearby family cushions, where she fell, her eyes heavy with fatigue, and heavier with sorrow at her own ineptitude. For a moment, she thought she might sleep, when, upon the brink of dreams, she felt a nibble upon her ear, and the light pressure of a tiny hoof upon the nape of her neck.

"Hey big sis, you fixed the floor!" The little royal blue alicorn squeaked, her tiny foal's teeth grating on Celestia's ear. She hopped on the white alicorn's back, and jumped excitedly, squealing. "Your magic is so pretty! It looks like a pretty lamp, or a pretty sun! Everything you do is so pretty big sis!"

Celestia smiled weakly, and she rolled to one side, throwing Luna onto a nearby cushion with an ecstatic whinny. "Thanks Luna. I'm glad you liked it."

"I did big sister. You missed a scratch though, but I'll get it!" Luna struggling, freeing herself from the cushion's hold, and scrambled towards the hallway Celestia had come from. Putting her muzzle on the ground, she began to pace back and forth like a hound. "It was here somewhere... Aha! Found it!" The last words were singsong, which Celestia always found unbearably adorable.

Luna's horn began to glow a dark navy blue, and a bead of sweat formed on the alicorn's cheek almost immediately. "Luna, you can't-" Celestia began to speak, but was cut off when the wood began to creak loudly, the gash on the floor filling with newly formed wood. After what seemed only a minute, Luna released the magic, her face flushed red with effort, her eyes surveying the oaken floor. A hoof swipe later, she confirmed the floor was repaired and smooth as could be.

"I did it sis!" Luna bounced about the room, beaming with pride. "I fixed the floors just like you!"

Celestia couldn't believe it. Didn't want to believe it. She turned to her mother; surely the elder alicorn must have assisted her with her own magic. But her mother seemed just as surprised as Celestia herself, and very pleased. "A wonderful job Luna. You'll be just like your father someday." She crooned, complimenting Luna's superior magic.

It seemed impossible to Celestia, that a foal of only four could best her magic at twenty-five. It was absurd. Unfair. It took her minutes to fix the floor, but her baby sister managed to complete the same task in a fraction of the time, and, judging by her exuberance, with much less effort. Standing with her mouth agape, Celestia racked her mind for justifications for such a thing while her sister cantered around the room, bellowing her success to an audience of two. Adjusting herself, Celestia feigned happiness for her sister, smiling widely and congratulating her power, while inwardly she felt exactly the opposite. As ashamed of her fraudulence as she was, the shame of losing to a foal was greater than she could bear, yet she tolerated it anyway. If she could not even defeat a filly in magic...

"Great job Luna," Celestia gritted through her teeth. "You'll make a fine magicker one day."

Luna turned to Celestia, and flashed a toothy smile that was missing a few teeth. "Thanks big sis."

At that moment, a purple aura overtook the front doorway of their cottage, and gently opened towards the living area. A large, black alicorn stepped through the frame, stooping to keep his horn from scratching the upper attachment of the frame.

"Hello family!" The alicorn bellowed, his voice booming, reverberating through the floors and up through the walls. "Mmm – mm! What's the delicious smell?"

The black alicorn strutted forward into the kitchen, his imposing frame nearly filling the width of the room. Iron Gallop smiled, and thrust her horn sideways at the stove.

"Porridge again! I know how much you love it, so I decided one more round wouldn't hurt." She gave an ingratiated grin, and held her cheek to an angle.

Starry Knight leaned in and pecked her on the cheek, a meaningful show of affection for the intimidating alicorn. "Thank you dear, I'm sure it'll be just as delicious as yesterday." His sincere smile told Celestia that he wasn't kidding; he actually liked her food, somehow.

Another alicorn stepped through the doorway, scuffling into the living quarters in a stealthy manner. As timid as the smaller alicorn was, he measured up to his father in stature, demonstrating the same breath of shoulders and muscled chest as the larger stallion, along with a black coat that matched. Despite the striking similarity in physical appearance, the two differed in most other ways, most prominently their choice of volume. Eridano shuffled beside Starry Knight, and passed a wayward glance towards Celestia, along with a small flash of teeth.

"Hey sis."

Celestia nodded, too absorbed within her own conundrums to fully register the presence of the black alicorn, or of the larger alicorn beside him.

Eridano tilted his head, confused at her generic response. "_What's wrong?" _the black alicorn mouthed silently to Celestia. When she proffered nothing else, he shrugged, and turned back to face Iron Gallop.

"My two hard workers." The gray alicorn crooned, nuzzling Starry Knight and Eridano together. "I hope both of you have worked up an appetite!" Her green magic began to shine, and the pot levitated from its place on the stove, dropping into the sink where a cool pool of water had gathered. The iron fizzed and popped, the water turning into vapor on contact, until, after a few moments, a steady stream of steam was all that suggested the pot's scalding temperatures. Rising again, a ladle flew out from a previously-shut cabinet, dipping gently into the porridge and lifting dollops of the mixture into five ceramic plates, all laid out conveniently by color. A white bowl, slightly stained from age and the variety of agents it once housed, gently fell into place at the dinner table, filled with the fragrant porridge. A blue, gray, and two black bowls, one large, one somewhat smaller, followed suit seconds later, each housing the same sickly brown mixture within.

Celestia slogged over to the dinner table, still stunned from Luna's display of magic. Her family gathered around the dinner table, taking their seats in turn, while Celestia stared unblinking into the distance. Starry Knight and Iron Gallop began their daily banter; ideas concerning the king and queen, news throughout the kingdom, how Starry Knight's day at work was keeping the palace grounds nicely kept and clean, all while they happily indulged themselves with porridge. Luna, her spoon held up steadily by her blue magic, lifted a small serving of the concoction into her mouth, upon which her face contorted into an exaggerated display of choking and wretching. Pushing the bowl away, she crossed her hooves, displeased with the cooking, but politely keeping to herself.

Eridano, having swiftly downed his bowl of porridge in an attempt to prevent prolonging the pain of its consumption, motioned to Celestia. Unmoved, the white alicorn gazed on, lost in her own world. Eyes whited with worry, Eridano nudged Celestia under the table with his hind legs. Still no response. Desperate, the black alicorn nearly kicked, and a striking pain seared through Celestia's leg, jarring her from her daze with a yelp.

Iron Gallop and Starry Knight paused, and simultaneously turned to Celestia, an inquisitive look on their faces. "Cele?" They both asked in unison.

"Um... leg cramp. I'm fine, sorry." Celestia blushed lightly, and cast her eyes down towards her porridge. Her mother and father seemed satisfied with the answer, and returned to their chatter.

A light nudge pressed against Celestia once again, and she turned her glazed eyes to Eridano, who once again mouthed "_What's wrong?" _A look of genuine concern crossed his gentle features, and Celestia felt a pang of guilt at his worry. _"Nothing," _she mouthed back to him. She knew that he would know that it was a lie, but she found it difficult to care at the moment. A translucent aura enveloped her spoon, and she lifted it with ease. The spoon shook lightly, and droplets of porridge fell back into the bowl every moment she held it suspended in air. Releasing the magic, it dropped into the bowl with a splat, before slowly sinking into the sickly muck. She sighed, nearly closing her eyes. A hint of red caught the corner of her vision, and she turned her head, observing Eridano's crimson magic gripping the spoon in front of him, absently playing with his empty bowl. The spoon rotated perfectly, without unwarranted vibrations or movements. When he swirled it around the bowl, it obeyed, smoothly and without protest, edging around each imperfection within the bowl itself, the crimson borders unwavering and solid. Even their auras were more perfect than mine, Celestia thought. While Celestia's own magenta magical aura was brilliant and bright, it lacked the composure or subtlety of her siblings, whose auras were solid, complete, and beautifully perfect, examples that only prodigious mages were capable of.

She felt the taint of jealousy rise again, and she clenched her teeth against it, her body trembling with effort. But, as quickly as it came, the sensation was gone, and Celestia relaxed, her muscles loosening their tense hold on her body. Celestia breathed, and collapsed into her chair, her mental functions completely spent. Again she grasped her spoon with magic, and willed it towards her, abruptly stopping it directly in front of her muzzle. The spoon continued to shake, her aura of power wavering slightly, as if the magic could disperse any moment. The alicorn frowned, and closed her eyes, focusing, compelling the spoon into a standstill. Her horn lit the room, and her parents' boisterous conversation ceased, both alicorns turning to Celestia, intrigued.

Eridano glanced up, snorted lightly in disinterest, then returned to his absentmindedness, his spoon's aura tinging Celestia's brilliant magic with a shade of red. Luna stared at Celestia, mouth slightly agape in a a perfect "o," seemingly delighted by her sister's light show. "Go on Cele, you can do it!" Luna yelled, then turned to Eridano. "What exactly is she trying to do?" She whispered, audible only to the black alicorn.

"Keep her spoon still, I think." He whispered back, very nonchalantly. "You know how she likes to do... this." His horn bobbed, motioning towards Celestia. "Her magic practice stuff. In front of everyone..." He sighed, then returned to his bowl.

Luna, puzzled, shrugged her small shoulders and began to cheer Celestia on again.

Minutes had passed, with Celestia's magenta light intensifying every moment. The spoon continued to waver, but subtly, the barely noticeable vibration of the utensil visible only to Celestia herself. Her heart raced, and she began to sweat once again, her strength draining as she maintained the spell. Try as she might, the spoon lightly shook, defying her efforts to constrict its movements. Her horn burst with light, and illuminated the room completely, casting beams of light through the windows and unto the neighbors walls. Eridano, annoyed, shielded his face with his foreleg, attempting to block out the light. Iron Gallop whickered lightly to Starry Knight in protest, a look of worry donning her muzzle. Starry Knight nodded, but stood his ground, deigning to do nothing for the moment.

Celestia panted, the strain of her spell sapping the strength from her, and she could feel her knees buckling, the body unable to maintain the effort. Shaking her head, she redoubled the magic, pushing forth greater effort than before. Defiantly, the spoon refused to stop shaking. I have to, the alicorn thought. I'm going to make you -

"Stop Celestia. That's enough."

Starry Knight stepped forward, and placed his horn against Celestia's, his luxurious purple aura enveloping it. Like a veil placed over a lamp, the room immediately went dark, everypony's eyes as yet unaccustomed to the blackness of the night.

Stunned, Celestia blinked dumbly, staring into Starry Knight's chest as he stood against her. "But... but..." Her forelegs gave out, and she fell forward, her muzzle slumping against her father's wired chest.

The black alicorn crouched, and Celestia fell into his embrace as her eyes fluttered, rolling into her head.

"Passed out..." Starry Knight said solemnly. A opaque disc of light formed under the alicorn's legs, and lifted her into the air. "But I think she's fine. Just overexerted herself."

Iron Gallop, her eyes downcast, only nodded.

Eridano, his bowl dispatched into the sink already, stood up from his seat, and walked towards his father.

"Take Luna to her room Eri. I think we all ought to head to sleep," Knight rumbled, his voice deep with concern. Eridano snorted, and walked over to Luna, motioning for her to follow, which the filly promptly did. As the two trotted away, Starry Knight turned to Iron Gallop once again, saying nothing. As the silence deepened, the mare looked up, her eyes etched with sadness.

"Well... She did make dinner pretty interesting," the mare joked, her voice empty.

Starry Knight hummed to himself, his eyes shut, and he leaned back in forth. Such was his thinking stance. "I don't know," he finally rumbled, "how to alleviate this problem. Cele is very... sensitive about her magic 'prowess.'"

The last word he spoke with a hint of sarcasm, though neither alicorn felt it was unwarranted.

"Her magic will grow. Not all alicorns were born equal Starry Knight. You, more than all of us, should know that." At that, the disc underneath Celestia pulsed, and it felt as if the room itself has a heartbeat.

The black stallion pawed at the floor, agitated. "I know Love. But she is the exact opposite of how I was at her age. What if there is something wrong? Perhaps she is disconnected from the aether somehow. I don't know, but I do know that no alicorn has ever had such difficulty doing something so... trivial! By Tartarus, she cannot hold her spoon still. Our little Luna can do more!" He stomped, throwing his head back.

Iron Gallop sighed, and fatigue showed along her visage. "Take our daughter to bed Love. We shall find a solution, but later. It is time for bed now."

Starry Knight snorted, his face skeptical, but he obliged, turning slowly and walking deliberately into the cottage's hallway. The disc pulsed again, and began to move, gliding docilely behind the black stallion as he stooped into Celestia's small room. His horn grew brighter for a moment, and the disc sped up slightly, curving down and alighting upon the white alicorn's bed. The covers parted, and the disc evaporated, dispersing into the surrounding air, pushing Celestia deep within the folds of her bed.

Starry Knight, his horn dimmed, quietly moved towards the white alicorn. At the side of her bed, he hesitated, looking upon her sleeping form. For a moment, he smiled, albeit a sad, deliberate smile. Crooking his neck, he kissed her cheek, and magicked the covers upon her collar.

"Good night, my princess."

* * *

Celestia awoke with a start, her horn glowing, the covers of her bed thrown in front of her across the floor in a heap. Her room was lit, streams of the bright full moon beaming in through her window and alighting upon the heap of blankets. Celestia paused, blinking slowly, then let herself fall back unto her pillow, her horn's light dimming as she thought. What was I doing last? The white alicorn asked herself, her mind fuzzy, and her body aching from exhaustion. She turned to one side, her legs dangled out ahead of her, and, with a push, she lifted herself out of bed, the oak floors creaking again, inexplicably. Crudely, she threw her blankets on top of her bed in a mess, and trotted her way towards her door, the floor thumping loudly at each hoofbeat. As she turned, she stopped, and began to walk forward slowly, sneaking past the only frame in the cottage with a door, her parents' bedroom. Clearing the hallway, she began to trot again, back into her open living room, the dinner table on the far side still messy with the night's dinner. The moonlight shifted, and light reflected off an object on the table. A metal spoon.

Celestia's heart fell, and she remembered what had transpired; her illustrious display of failure for her whole family to see. She dragged her hooves again towards the nearest cushion, and fell, despairing over her perceived mediocrity. Her eyes welled up, moonlight reflecting in their depths, when she caught motion out of the corner of her vision.

"Who's there?" The alicorn mumbled, barely louder than a whisper.

A red glow sparked into existence, and Celestia wiped her eyes quickly as Eridano stepped into the light, his horn casting an ominous tinge upon the room.

"Cele, what are you doing? It's the middle of the night." He groaned, pressing his hooves against his eyes to wipe out the grit.

Celestia stifled a sniffle, and looked away from the stout alicorn. "Nothing Eri. I just couldn't sleep, is all."

"Didn't look like it before." He grinned, and sat beside her, pressing his flank comfortingly against hers. "You really clocked out back then. Gave us all a bit of a light show."

Celestia grunted, and placed her head between her front legs.

Eridano followed, and placed his cheek against the stark whiteness of his sister's. "Hey, I didn't mean anything by that. Just saying you gave us all a little bit of a worry when you passed out...-"

"Passed out after trying to hold a spoon still. Just say it Eri."

Eridano lifted his head, quieting himself. After a moment, he spoke. "Yea. With that spoon. Cele, you know some alicorns take longer to learn magic. I'm almost fifty, and there's still so much I have to learn. I'm nowhere near dad's level."

Celestia turned to him abruptly, her eyes welled up with tears again. "You don't have room to speak Eri! You've been able to lift boulders since the moment you were foaled. There's not a moment in your life where you've ever had to deal with being inadequate, because you've always been the best at everything!" She paused, and her body shook, internalizing her sobs. Sighing, she lamented on. "You've always been the fastest flier, the strongest colt, and the most powerful mage. Everypony has wanted what you've had... including me."

Eridano turned to Celestia. "Cele, I..." He hesitated, and fell silent once again.

Wiping another tear, she continued. "Today I saw Luna do what I did Eri. Only better. She fixed scratches in the floor so easily, like it was another one of her games. I felt like a dragon had sat on my chest after I was finished. Do you know what that feels like? Bested by your own sister, a filly no less. She's going to grow up and be just like you and dad; powerful, strong... Everything I turned out not to be."

Eridano started, his voice stern. "Celestia, neither of us can begin to understand how long we have in this life. It may feel like everything is against you, but there are thousands of years to grow and learn. We have all the time in the world, but you're dwelling upon a blip in the span of our lives. Please, just look at it from a different perspective."

Celestia stood, and began to walk towards the front door, her magenta light encapsulating the doorknob. "I'm going for a fly Eri. I'll be back in the morning."

As the lock clicked out of position, Celestia attempted to canter forward when a red ring encased her left hind leg, preventing her body from moving. Her head snapped back towards Eridano. "Let me go Eri."

Eridano shook his head, his horn's light illuminating his face with a deep shade of red, giving him a malevolent look. "I can't Cele. Mom wouldn't let you, Dad wouldn't let you, and I definitely _shouldn't _let you." The light intensified, and she could feel his hold tightening on her leg.

She pulled and struggled, her wings beating against the air frantically, but the red ring held, unwavering against her shimmering coat. Minutes passed, and the beating of her wings and her muffled grunts of effort were the only sounds between the two alicorns. With one last beat of effort, Celestia relented, and her frame drooped as her wings tucked along her sides.

"I'm not even strong enough to fight back." She whispered. "Please Eri... Just let me go. I want to be alone."

Eridano looked away. "I'm sorry Cele."

"It's just a flight over the mountains..."

"I'm sorry Cele."

"Please..."

Silence pervaded the room.

Celestia sighed, and sat, the red ring still encompassing the width of her leg. "Helpless against even my own brother... You'll never understand Eri. You've always been so... _perfect._"

She spat out that word, cursing it. Eridano flinched, and the ring upon her leg flashed, its solid color fading into translucence, before fading completely.

Celestia turned slowly, glimpsing Eridano's star-bespeckled flank in the blackness of their house. Red light enveloped his horn, and his face became visible again, a sad smile donning his muzzle.

"Try to be back before mom and dad wake up, ok?"

Celestia blankly nodded.

"And please be safe."

Celestia cast her gaze upwards again as Eridano trotted towards her, clearing the small gap in less than two seconds. The imposing colt pressed his cheek against hers, and curled his neck around hers in a semi-hug. Surprised, Celestia hesitated a few moments before reciprocating, taken aback by his display of affection.

Stepping back, Eridano smiled. "You know I care about you sis. And you know I don't ever do anything to make you unhappy. I do what I do because I love all of you, and I want to do what's best for this family." His smile softened. "Maybe a flight is what's best for you right now. To just be alone. As much as I don't want to let you go, I do want you to feel better, and I know keeping a bird cooped up in its cage doesn't do anyone any good. Just make sure to take care. Don't go too far. And don't do anything dumb, please."

Eridano lightly tapped Celestia front leg with his front hoof in a mock-punch. "Be safe. Let me know if you have an epiphany or something." He chuckled lightly.

Celestia said nothing, simply watching Eridano for a moment. As the moments passed, and no response came from the white alicorn, Eridano turned to leave, when a magenta light permeated the room and pressed on his chest, lightly, but noticeably. Eridano turned back to Celestia, who pressed her cheek against the coal-black colt's.

"Thank you Eri."

Celestia wheeled and cantered, her hooves clacking loudly upon the front pavement, her wings unfurling and pressing against the wind. Her leg muscles bunch, and she jumped into the air, gaining height with every beat of her wings.

Eridano watched, admiring her form for a moment before his horn's light enveloped the door, pulling it in. With the lock secured and Celestia away, Eridano's light diminished, and the house went dark.

The thrumming of wingbeats faded into the distance, and soon, silence bathed the city once again.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So yea, Celestia has a brother.

Anyway, just hoping for more feedback on what people think of the story, if it's too crude or unbelievable. Obviously Celestia isn't like this in the canon show, but then again this is a younger, less wise version of Celestia who might not be so doting and loving of all. A bit more raw than the princess-like visage she gives out in the show.

_**Another Author's**_** Note:** I'm super sorry for the 2+ week delay! I've been really busy, and I'm really trying to get chapter 3 out soon. Please bear with me, I'll try to have it out by the beginning of next week if possible.


	3. Far From Home, Far From Familiar

Pale as winter's first snow, Celestia soared amongst the clouds underneath the guiding radiance of the moon.

Despite the whirring of the crisp cool air between her ears, and the beads of moisture forming along her flank, Celestia felt no discomfort, no compulsion to descend towards the glistening rivers and expansive evergreens below. The moon was her companion, and the clouds her confidantes as she paced on, her wings tirelessly beating against the forces that pulled her to the ground. This was her domain. Here, she was the master, beyond kings and families and brothers, earthly woes and concerns.

The moon crested at its zenith, casting a pale light throughout the land. The land, Celestia thought. Kingdom of the Alicorns. It had always struck her as improper and irresponsible for the land to exist without a name beyond its title, for who could respect and acknowledge a kingdom with no name? It must have taken quite the lineage of unimaginative alicorns for this to happen, Celestia mused, chuckling to herself slightly.

Hearing herself chuckle was in many ways therapeutic; she had not deliberately chuckled, and, reflecting, she assumed she had begun to feel better. The notion that she was analyzing herself in this way seemed profoundly absurd, and she chuckled again, louder, though the wind snatched away her voice as it did the last time. Through her fit of laughter, Celestia closed her eyes, mind wandering into oblivion. Peace was something flying had always brought her, and even in her most despondent moments, it seemed this time was no different. She flew on, the metronome of her wings keeping pace in the way only an alicorn could, graceful as the most elegant of songbirds, and powerful as the mightiest of griffons. She had become the heartbeat of the night, and the whole world catered to her whims. Her wings flapped of their own accord now; in the way only a practiced flier's wings could, they beat purely from memory. The allure of dreams beckoned, and Celestia fell into a curious half-sleep.

* * *

Celestia awoke to the sight of sand and rocky crags.

Alarmed, the alicorn snapped her head towards the sky, breathing a sigh of relief as she realized it was still night. The moon had descended far below its zenith. It would take only a few hours now before it reached the horizon. Celestia tilted, bringing her wings perpendicular to the ground to abruptly halt her momentum before leveling herself and adopting a hovering state. Although the alicorn felt relatively little fatigue within her body as a whole, her wings had begun to ache, and every beat brought with it the unpleasant sensation of her wings being stretched too far.

Celestia took a turn, taking in her surroundings with mild worry. A treeline was nowhere in sight, and there were no settlements or defining features in the area. Dust and tooth-like crags were the only thing in sight for leagues, even in the air. There were no clouds, and the air felt dry and hot, even in the night. She had never flown out this far, and she had never intended to. Mild worry evolved into near-panic as it dawned on her, her flowing pink mane standing up in fear. She had absolutely no idea where she was, and she was tired.

"Oh Makers..." muttered Celestia, both as a prayer and a curse. There were spells that could teleport her vast distances, to the far sides of the world if she desired, had she simply the ability. Again, Celestia cursed herself and whatever deity existed for her lack of such abilities, and kicked, frustrated more than ever at her conspicuous lack of magical talent in a magically gifted family. She could feel the tendrils of jealousy inching over her heart once again, and she clenched her teeth against it, repelling her feelings of anger and self-pity.

A voice spoke, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"Come."

A wave of presence crushed every feeling within the alicorn's mind, smothering every vacuous thought and desire in a bombardment of emotions and memories that were not her own. The aching of her wings did not disturb her any longer, and she could feel the presence lending her strength, empowering her, drawing her into its embrace.

It was old. Terribly old. More ancient than anything Celestia could have ever conceived of. She had met the king once; a haggard old alicorn, famously powerful and rumored to have reigned for ten thousand seasons, if not more. An atmosphere of antiquity was something Celestia had become familiar with in the short time she had spent with him. But the _thing _that was with her, inside her now, was beyond age. It simply was, and always had been, of this Celestia had no doubt.

A sharp pain gripped Celestia's chest, and she cried out, and for a moment, she felt nothing but malice, power, and, most potently, an all-consuming hatred that threatened to snuff out the alicorn's existence. The corruption seeped, spreading, and Celestia felt helpless against its influence, fearing that nothing would remain of her in the ensuing moments to come.

And then, nothing. Celestia opened her eyes. Quickly as it had came, it had passed.

Celestia did not feel anger, jealousy, or frustration, although she was acutely aware of the fact that she had felt those just moments before. She had never been more aware of those emotions as she was then. She felt for a moment the desire to wrench herself away, and fly into the night sky as fast as she could, but only for an instant. The presence pinched the thought away, dismissing it like a troublesome insect. Celestia could no longer distinguish which thoughts had been hers, and whether or not she had chosen to think or act of her own volition. The entity had _become _Celestia, though the alicorn could feel it within her, writhing, _laughing _at her, although why it was laughing Celestia was no longer certain of, for it had plucked such musings away and discarded them just as easily as before.

She alighted upon the sand below, a small cloud of dust rising into the air at the gust she created. Celestia did not feel fear. It was beyond her capacity. Nor did she feel curiosity at the being's motives, for it was no longer within her ability to be interested. She felt numb, but wholly at peace. In many ways, she likened this to a dream, where she was unable to control what she was doing and how she thought. The presence allowed her to keep this thought, although Celestia did not particularly care.

She began to walk. Celestia could not feel the muscles within her legs moving, and she relaxed completely. It felt as though she were being carried by her father; effortless, comforting, almost loving. The presence within her cackled, and shattered the thought violently, like a hoof upon glass. Celestia winced, although a moment later she was not sure why.

The moon hung low in the sky, barely cresting over the horizon now. The veil of twilight had been thrown over the desert, and the stars above had become dimmer, their companionship waning as they night went on. And still Celestia walked, carrying the presence with her on her inexorable march into nothing.

* * *

Highlights of blue had begun to paint the eastern sky, the first signs of dawn. Celestia could feel the temperature rising, the last remaining bits of vapor in the air evaporating, leaving nothing but dust and sand, but she did not feel bothered. The cackling within her mind has ceased, but still she walked, the numbness in her legs shielding her from pain and the lethargy of her mind protecting her from bodily fatigue. She could feel them approaching their destination, although whatever that could be eluded her interests. She had, instead, become fascinated with the way the sand shifted beneath her hooves, and had been watching herself walk for some time. The closer they came to their destination, however, the less interested she became in her footsteps; a sense of dread had settled upon her, slowly, but surely, and the presence made no effort to conceal or dismiss it. Anticipation filled her every moment, and, with small surprise, she realized it was not her that felt it, but rather the presence inside her, metaphorically standing on its toes, waiting and hoping for _it_ to arrive faster. In its excitement, it had allowed Celestia the liberty of free-thinking, although her body still moved of a foreign desire.

Then it appeared.

As they vaulted over a dune, Celestia witnessed what the presence had been searching for. A black, cavernous hole, fifty or more hooflengths in height, stood in a bowl of sand. Red and orange lightning seemed to arc along its length and into the center, where Celestia could see only an abyss. The portal swirled, like a whirlpool taken out of the water and laid perpendicular to the ground, and a steady stream of sand was drawn into the maw of the abyss. Celestia's sparkling magenta mane was thrown in front of her, and her entire body lurched forward. The presence had exited Celestia's body, of that she was sure, but she was still unable to move. The malignant aura surrounding the portal had enveloped her, and she recognized it for the same presence that had possessed her. The sand beneath her hooves crawled up her legs, and she glanced at her body for only a moment, too stricken to take her eyes off the portal. The sand flew forward, creating a new stream between Celestia and the abyss. Slowly, her hooves slid along the sand, towards the portal.

Celestia could not speak, could not move, but her mind screamed at her, willing every bone and muscle in her body to move, to listen, to take some action outside of stark stillness, but some maleficent influence prevented her from doing anything other than stare at her impending doom. Further along the sand she was drug, closer to blackness. Talon-like tendrils, black as the portal itself, erupted from the void and reached for her, raking at her skin and closing around her neck and horn, increasing the speed at which she moved towards it. This time, her mouth opened, and she screamed, but her voice was swallowed by the void.

She was too close to think. Her face was nearly touching the unnatural blackness, and her horn had already been submerged into whatever realm was on the other side, if there was anything at all. Two more appendages reached out and grabbed her, but they were different. Despite the fear, despite her screaming, and in spite of the doom in front of her, Celestia saw that they were not formless black tendrils, but instead a griffon's talon and a lion's paw.

Her head was drawn into the portal, and blackness consumed Celestia.

There was nothing in the realm she had entered. Oppressive darkness consumed the world, though Celestia could _feel _what was in it. She felt so much pain that it was impossible to discern what was happening around her, though. Her skull felt as if it had been cracked down the middle, and slowly pulled apart to release the contents within. Her mind felt addled with the pain, and she could no longer think straight. She could hear the cries of monstrous creatures within, each with a pain like her own, but she could feel no sympathy, only the bolts of lightning that surged across every fiber of her being. She was somewhat aware that her legs had not been consumed, but were slowly being drawn into the portal after her. A part of her felt that if she let herself be taken, she would never leave whatever hell she had entered.

And there had never been something she had desired more in her life than to leave this horrible place.

A primal surge erupted within Celestia. It was base and coarse, a desire that filled her up and protected her from the pain. She opened her eyes to darkness, and she screamed, not in fear, but in effort. She poured all her strength into her limbs, willing them to move. Her flank had been sucked into the abyss; now only her legs remained. She screamed again, and, without thinking of it, her horn began to glow. The darkness within the realm did not disperse, but she could see its glow; a light in a world without hope. She did not think of a spell, nor word it. The spell took form of its own accord, and it drew upon Celestia's reservoir of bodily strength and magic. It felt raw, like her entire life's energy was being drained into something she could not control, something so immensely powerful that it was _worth_ being taken into.

The light of her horn grew brighter, more brilliant than irons in the forge, a white hot intensity burning the magic into the realm. The darkness groaned, aching; the unwelcome light burned and scorched the tendrils which faded back into the blackness. Only the lion's paw and griffon talon remained.

Celestia felt her eyes begin to flutter, her mind's grasp on consciousness ebbing. She felt the magic in her horn, but could not release it. Her body almost completely consumed by the darkness, she felt herself slipping into oblivion.

The talons gripped her neck tightly desperately, and their claws pierced her skin. A surge of pain exploded up the side of her body, but she could not summon the strength to scream. Suddenly, she felt herself moving, flying through the darkness, impossibly fast, faster than she or any alicorn, griffon or dragon could fly. Something clung to her, a weight that was not her own, and their combined momentum hurtled them across the expanse. Her ears were filled with the sound of ringing, and her body was pelted with the sensation of stinging grains. As she began to believe this was the beginning of her life in eternal darkness, she collided with a wall that gave in and smothered her.

The world faded to black.

* * *

The echo of stones clacking against each other awoke Celestia, and her eyes beheld not but an inch in front of her own muzzle.

_This is it_, she silently cried, _trapped forever in this demon's home._

Two stones broke against each other once again, their echoes sounding throughout the blackness. Celestia turned her neck to the origin of the noise, and cried out, falling upon her side once again. Her neck burned, although from what she was not sure, and it pained her to move more than a trifle.

"You shouldn't move very much."

A chill crept into the mare's spine, and drowned out the burning sensation in her skin with a hail of icy fear.

"Who's there?" The question came out almost as a whimper. Celestia inwardly cursed herself for letting her terror seep into her voice.

The rustling of leaves and a scratching against the hard floor sounded from somewhere behind Celestia, and ceased with a mild thump. Celestia imagined whatever was there had been lying down, and now had taken some other stance. Perhaps it was sitting, if it could sit.

"Please don't be afraid. I didn't mean to scare you." The sadness in the creature's voice was so plainly expressed that Celestia almost felt guilty for being afraid. The voice was obviously male, although it seemed somewhat... young. Celestia likened it to an alicorn colt that was only just becoming a stallion. It was sonorous, and pervading, and somehow, Celestia felt like she had heard its voice before.

The alicorn stirred, attempting to turn herself, but the pain was too great. She resigned to not seeing the creature, and simply stared at the void in front of her. "Who are you? Are you an alicorn?" She asked, voice trembling only just.

There was a pause, and Celestia thought perhaps the creature had left without her noticing somehow. She laid her head down, and began to close her eyes once more, when the small voice spoke.

"No. Not an alicorn, I don't think. Are you?"

The question threw Celestia off. How could anyone not know what an alicorn was? She had met no living thing as yet who had not known the privilege of beholding one of her kind.

"Yes," she said, drawing out the syllable. "Yes, I am an alicorn. I am Celestia, from Lopingshire. May I ask what your name might be?"

Another pause, longer than the last. Celestia trusted an answer would come eventually, but as the minutes passed, she began to doubt whether the creature had heard her at all.

"A-hem," she coughed, and a rustle of hair against slab signaled she had the being's attention. "May I ask what your name is?" She inquired again.

This time, it muttered something underneath its breath, incomprehensible to the alicorn.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that..." she apologized, feeling only mildly frustrated with the creature's seeming incompetence.

"I..." it spoke softly, as if about to proclaim a secret it did not wish to tell.

"Yes?"

"I... I don't know." The creature spoke with a sense of finality, and it seemed to try to increase the weight of its own words.

"What do you mean? Everyone has a name." Celestia spoke, slightly confused, and agitated a little more.

"I don't. It's funny, really. I just _don't._" It laughed, a slow, quiet laugh. Celestia felt fear creep up her spine once again. The laugh seemed vaguely familiar, although she could not determine from whence she had heard it.

Celestia shuffled herself, keeping her neck straight, and pressed her hooves against the slabs to turn her body. It took a great deal of effort, but she had enough of staring into blank nothingness. The reward of her ordeal was more nothing. Where they were was dark throughout, except for one blaring hole of light about a hundred hooflengths away. The sight made Celestia's heart soar. Perhaps they were not trapped at all.

"Where are we?"

"In a hole. It was too hot outside."

The creature's words melted the fear Celestia had felt deep within her bosom. She had not been absorbed by the demon's portal. She was still in her own world, without pain and eternal darkness.

She dragged herself a little nearer to the source of the voice, and she could hear it scamper away, whatever appendages it had scraping along the slabs they laid upon. "Please, I want to see you. Did you save my life?" She pleaded.

This time, the creature did not hesitate. "No, Celestia. You saved mine." Its voice drew long echoes from the deep cavern. "I don't think you'd want to see me though... I'm not very handsome." It chuckled, a lighthearted and naïve chuckle, like a foal's. His answer had both puzzled and intrigued Celestia, and, somehow, lessened the fear she had felt for the creature.

"I'm sure you're just fine. If you're not an alicorn, I probably wouldn't know in any case." She returned his playful tone, feeling almost jovial in the cave with a complete stranger. The thought was odd, but she dismissed it. Whatever it was, it had saved her life, at least in her opinion.

She craned her neck, and searing pain ran through it again. She tried to resist and keep her neck upright, but it proved too great an effort. She fell to her side once again with a small cry and a thud. Suddenly, she could feel a light breath upon her flank, and her chest tightened, her legs tensing with instinctual fear.

"I can try to fix it, if you want." It spoke.

Celestia was confused by the answer. Only the alicorns had developed magics beyond the elements. Other races, like the griffons, could only control the most primal forces of nature. Healing was an art, and could not be attempted lightly.

"I... guess so. Can you?" Celestia asked, her voice slightly tense.

Already she could feel talons against her shoulders, gliding up and along her sand-swept mane and unto the wound upon her neck. Again the odd sensation of familiarity struck Celestia, but she shrugged it away.

"I can try. I think I've done it before, to myself."

Slightly comforted by the answer, Celestia nodded, a useless gesture in the inky blackness. "Just be careful."

The fact that she was trusting a complete stranger with a form of magic that could potentially have devastating effects upon her body was a notion that Celestia had taken into account, but, oddly, she felt little to no trepidation as a paw, light and gentle, alighted itself upon the torn skin, pressing against the flesh with the weight of a feather. The creature's presence at her side comforted her in a way she could not describe, and though she knew not the appearance or motives of the stranger, she slowly began to trust him, despite all logical evidence screaming at her to do the opposite.

A warm, prickling sensation grew deep into the wound, and she could feel her blood flowing faster, the heat within her body rising. Then, a cool wind blew, and chilled her open flesh, the old feeling of magic against and within her body as familiar as the hair upon her muzzle. A light emanated from the paw, and, for a brief moment, Celestia could see the outline of the form along her side. She squinted, attempting to clarify the view of the stranger. A lion's paw was lit dimly, but mostly clearly, and adjacent to it was what seemed to be -

The light went out, and all the pain with it. Celestia started slightly at the sudden darkness again, and her eyes opened as widely as they could, hoping to readjust to the void once again. She was in awe; not even the alicorns, in all of their mastery of the arcane, could ever hope to heal a wound so quickly and flawlessly. It had taken only seconds, and dubiousness filled the alicorn. Tentatively, she lifted her neck. No pain. She turned it, and place one hoof on the floor upright, pushing herself to her feet. Although her body ached from exertion, her neck felt as though it had been through no ordeal at all. It was impossible, but the stranger had achieved in the course of five seconds what would take at least. a minute for even a powerful alicorn.

"How...?" She asked, dumbstruck.

Deep within the darkness, she imagined the creature blushed. "I've always had a knack for magic." Its tone had become almost companionable compared to how it had been only minutes before. Like an old friend.

"Thank you... May I call you 'friend?' If you have no name."

She heard a small intake of breath from the creature. It hesitated until, with a quiet outlet of air, it spoke. "That would make me very happy."

Celestia pondered for a moment, and then stood up, her body creaking and complaining. She ignored it. "I'm going to walk outside friend. It's much too dark in here, and I've had too much dark in my life recently."

The creature suddenly adopted a very serious voice. "You may not want to. It's not very pretty."

Celestia crooked her head, but after a moment's pause, she shrugged, and walked slowly towards the light in the distance, taking care where her hooves landed upon the slab. Best not to trip and re-injure her already battered self. "If we are still in the desert, I imagine it doesn't ever look very pretty. It surely couldn't have gotten much uglier."

She could hear the creature behind her, and, as it walked along, she suddenly she realized that it was not as small as she had originally imagined. It was, at the very least, her size, perhaps bigger. The lion's paw she had saw before attested to this, though in her daze of pain she had taken almost no note.

"If you insist..." It sighed, and she could hear it dragging whatever feet it had along the rock.

As they came closer to the light, Celestia felt the urge to turn and behold what it was that trudged in her wake, but she resisted the desire. She could only just see the whiteness of her coat, and she wanted to see her companion in good light.

They walked along, silently, exchanging no words and being considerably less friendly than they had been before, although Celestia dismissed it to her own fatigue. The light grew brighter still, and she could see the blue sky beyond the mouth of the cave.

She set her hooves into the sand, and daylight bathed her incandescent form, the sun reflecting upon the shimmering white of her coat, unscathed and untainted by the glass winds that blew. She closed her eyes and raised her head to the heavens, breathing in the air, reveling in the glorious day, and grateful to be alive and well.

"You're..." her companion spoke behind her, stuttering. "You're very... something. I..." He went silent, seemingly at a loss for words.

Celestia smiled, lowering her head, but kept her eyes closed, still admiring the moment. "I'm very happy right now friend. Happy to be out of the dark."

Her companion shifted behind her, the sand scrunching together underneath his feet. She turned, facing him directly, and opened her eyes. "Now let's see - " She gasped, cutting herself off.

The creature before her was unlike anything she had ever seen. An amalgamation of different body parts, it took her a painfully awkward span of seconds to take in all of what she was seeing. As she had seen before, his right foreleg was a powerful lion's paw, sinuous and strung with muscular cords along its length. His left foreleg, however, was covered in bird's scales, a long, dexterous talon that served as a hand for the creature. She continued down, still gazing stupidly at her companion. His body was that of a griffon; thick, feathered, but strangely elongated like a serpent's. His right leg was scaled in green dragon's scales, and was tipped with a dragon's claw that boasted toes of long, wicked-looking nails, as intimidating on him as the actual creature it originated from. His left hind leg was very similar to an alicorns, a dusty brown equine leg extending from his hip, but again had a strange elongation, as if it were adjusted to some other mode of movement. From beyond that, a red dragon's tail slithered behind him, sliding back and forth in nervous movement within the sand, burying itself.

She wrenched her gaze away from his body, and instead turned to look him in the eye, stifling another gasp. To her surprise, his head was exactly that of an alicorn. It was gray and large, but no different in any aspect or feature, except for a small goatee that hung from his chin like a goat's, only smaller. Her stare turned up to the crest of the creature's head, where an antler and a ram's horn protruded forth, both angling away from each other in proper fashion, if proper were a useful description in this situation. Movement caught her eye, and as she went along the black mane on her companion's back, she beheld two wings sprouting from his shoulders; one an alicorn's, one a bat's, both flapping slightly in anxiety.

For a few moments, she stood stark still, unsure of how to react or what to do. Terror was instinctual, but she forced it down, deigning to calm herself before making a decision. Her eyes locked with his again, which were somewhat small and beady, and tinged yellow. Despite his frightful appearance, his eyes were surprisingly mellow, and held no malice. The creature forced a slow, sad smile.

"Did I not say that it was not very pretty?" The creature spoke, the humor in his voice small and weak. He let out a chuckle, although to Celestia it sounded much more like a cough.

Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but no words came forth. She paused, unsure of what to say at all, and closed her mouth, feeling slightly dumbstruck. The creature hesitated, then turned its gaze towards the earth, and slumped, its slender, serpentine body crooking over in a hunched position that Celestia imagined looked akin to a dragon taking a drink from a lake. Altogether, it proved a very pathetic sight to Celestia; a large, monstrous creature bending over in seeming submission or despair. It was odd, to say the least.

Celestia, after some thought, finally found her voice. "Looks can be deceiving." She managed to force out, feeling rather stupid at using such a common foal's mantra. The creature heaved, and for a moment Celestia's muscles tensed, preparing to take flight at any sign of aggression, but after a moment the creature retracted, and at once Celestia realized it had merely been sighing.

"So you say." It muttered.

Celestia's innards roiled; she felt completely lost as to what to do. The creature obviously was not aggressive, yet she could not help but feel threatened by its proximity. Even then, she couldn't simply leave him here, in this desert. It didn't sit right within her heart.

Tentatively, Celestia took a step forward. The creature did not seem to notice; another step forward elicited the same ignorance. One more step forward landed Celestia virtually a nosebreadth away from the creature's head. A profound boldness filled Celestia, and she placed her cheek against the creature's own, in a semi-nuzzling gesture of affection. All at once, the creature's eyes widened, its breathing stopped, and for a moment, Celestia wondered if perhaps that had not been the wisest of actions...

"Thank you again..." She whispered, muzzle close to the creature's ears. "For saving me. Even if you think it was the other way around." At that, she backed away slightly, and the creature turned its eyes upwards. Celestia smiled gingerly, embarrassed, and with a twinge of fear. Seconds past, and finally the creature smiled back, a tender and genuine smile that washed away the fear Celestia had felt.

"Welcome." He spoke, in a subtle teasing voice.

The creature stood on its hind legs, putting its height at a decent amount above Celestia's own head. Somehow, Celestia imagined that the creature was young still, from its body to its mannerisms. It was only a thought, and soon it passed from Celestia's head. The creature's smile widened, and he motioned to the east. "Oh, and it's not very pretty over there too. Not that it ever was, but, well, how bout I just show you?" He seemed somewhat delighted by the prospect of seeing whatever it was he wanted to show.

Celestia, confused, complied anyway. "Sure. I'll follow. Can you fly with your..." She hesitated.

The creature laughed, a throaty laugh that sounded almost like a gryphon's, but distinctly held its tone as a pony's. "Of course. They're not just for show, you know." In one surging motion, he bent his body into a coil, and sprung upwards into the air, flying lithely and delicately towards his destination. As Celestia followed him with her eyes, she noticed a brown cloud in the distance that he was disappearing into. She assumed he was heading towards the mass of dun.

"Guess I don't _really_ need to follow after all." She commented to herself before galloping forward and jumping into the air, wings beating against the crags below.

* * *

The two stopped short of the cloud, instead electing to alight upon the sand at least a mile away. Celestia, having flown low, had not been able to see what it was the cloud was made of, and she felt frustrated at their early descent.

"Why did we stop so early?" She asked, her anxiety barely contained.

The creature didn't turn to her, but instead began walking along the hot sand towards the cloud. "It looks like it's far away, but we're actually kinda close. It's a sand cloud."

Celestia's frustration turned to worry. "Shouldn't we head _away _from it? What if it's a sandstorm?"

Again, the creature did not turn. "It's not, don't worry. You'll see."

Celestia contented herself to walking alongside her companion in silence, assuming that whatever it was they were journeying towards would be worth the wait, without the questions.

It was not long after that they approached a massive crater in the dunes. The sand had been swept back at the fringes, like a rock hitting water sends waves upwards in a bowl. Towards the middle, the sand had been glassed over, broken crystals and large, unbroken slabs thrown about in the bowl where whatever strange calamity had taken place. In the center, far below Celestia and her friend, lay only the bedrock, cracked and charred. Above them, a massive mushroom cloud of sand swirled, the particles very slowly beginning to float back down towards the desert below. Celestia stared, taking in as much as she could of the wanton destruction, mouth agape at its magnitude. The crater was at least a half-mile wide, and incredibly deep.

"How did this happen?" Celestia sputtered, still in awe.

The creature raised its eyebrows, and smiled. "Why, you did it of course. How else did you think we made it out of that... _place?" _It shuddered at the mentioning of its former prison.

Celestia shook her head, then turned to her companion, wide-eyed and afraid. "How... What... I couldn't have. I can't even fix scratches in the floor with my magic. I couldn't have possibly caused this. The magic that caused this - " Celestia stopped, her eyes still wide, but no longer with fear. She felt something, something she had not noticed before, but now, in retrospect, she realized had been there all along these past few hours. Magic. It coursed through her like she had never felt before. It felt familiar and strange, but undeniably hers. She felt light-headed; the new feeling had overwhelmed her, and suddenly she no longer felt like she could stand.

Celestia dropped to a knee, and shook her head. "This is impossible. I've always been such a failure at magic, but now... Now I can _feel _it. I can feel all of it, all the magic in me. It's so different... Is this what all alicorns feel like all the time? Is this what _you _feel like?" She turned to her companion.

He hesitated, then spoke. "I don't think so... I'm not an alicorn after all." He forced a smile, but Celestia did not notice in her reverie.

"Why did this happen? Why do I suddenly have all of this power? Does this happen to all alicorns? I don't know what to think. I don't know what to do..." She paused for a breath. "What do you think, friend?"

Again, her companion hesitated, then spoke softly. "Perhaps you just needed some... inspiration?" He inquired, just as lost as her. "I didn't know you thought yourself less than adequate at magic, but then again, my first impression _was _this amazing power." He gestured at the hole in a flamboyant manner, raising his arms up very triumphantly.

Celestia smiled at his act. "I... was. I was terrible." Her horn began to glow, and the sand shifted beneath her feet slowly. She concentrated for a moment, and the sand imploded upon itself, a ball of hard rock sitting in front of her encased in a potent magenta aura. Releasing the magic, the ball rolled down the crater side, falling into the hole below. "I... I don't know. This is strange. But it's so great at the same time." A tear fell down her cheek, and fell to the sand below. At that moment though, a splitting pain surged through Celestia's skull, and the whole world went black once again, albeit only for a moment. She opened her eyes, and the pain was gone, leaving her blinking at the sunlight reflecting upon the sand. She felt weaker, but she was not sure in what way, or why.

Her companion seemed to notice her sudden silence. "Something wrong?" He asked.

Celestia shook her head. "I... don't think so. No, everything's fine. Just a little headache is all. But yes, this is great indeed!" She pranced happily. "I need to tell my family about this immediately!"

She wheeled suddenly, and galloped away from her companion. "Come! I'll find you somewhere to stay, let's just go!"

Surprised, the creature stumbled before coiling upon itself and springing into the air, in hot pursuit of his shimmering companion as she shone in the sunlight once again. "Beautiful," he whispered to himself. "That's the word I was looking for." His wings beat hard, and he took off in full speed into the distance, unsure of his destination, but sure of what he wanted to follow in this new, strange place.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Ugh. I'm sorry this took so long. I've been so busy recently it's killing me. The worst part? I know this whole thing was terribly written. Definitely not two week's worth of work. In retrospect, I think this whole thing is terribly written, but at the same time I feel compelled to finish if I can.

Oh well. Hope you like it. Also, as a side note, all of my submissions are completely unedited and submitted as soon as I finish them. Which is probably why they suck. :P


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